The Definition of Perfection
by IBelieveYouLiar
Summary: A series of stories about Kate, Rick and their little man, Liam. Family fluff with a little romance thrown in. The whole gang appear at some stage. K plus. In Progress.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I'm back, and this time with a multi-chapter story!**

**I know there's a whole bunch of family fics out there, but I love writing happy stories so I'm contributing a series of family-related one-shots. They won't follow a chronological order, and I can't promise regular updates due to my commitments in the real world, but whenever I'm inspired, I will write something and post it. That I can promise.**

**This whole thing was inspired by AC, who prompted this on Twitter and has been super supportive of my writing, and for that I am grateful - so this first chapter's for you, AC! Enjoy your fluff :)**

**IBYL  
****xo**

* * *

Kate stood in the kitchen of the loft, making waffle batter. It was early, probably earlier than she should be up on the first day of her week-long vacation, but old habits die hard. Gates had mandated that her lieutenant take a few days to be with family, after their latest debacle of a case. She wasn't about to say no to a week off – for someone who was once a workaholic, times had definitely changed, for the better of course.

Her reverie was interrupted by the pitter-patter of little toddler feet making their way down the stairs. She knew the pattern like the back of her hand – slow and careful while on the stairs, but as soon as those feet hit the ground floor, peace was over. Sure enough, the pitter-patter sped up to a run, and Kate put the bowl down and crouched to greet her beautiful boy with a hug.

Liam Castle was a charmer, much like his father. He looked a lot like his mother, but had his father's big blue eyes and cheeky grin, which pleased Kate no end.

"Good morning, my little man." Kate said, open arms swiftly collecting the fast-moving boy.

"Morning Mommy." He said, squeezing her around the waist in the 'Castle Family Bear Hug', as Rick had dubbed it.

At 3 years old, her little man had a big personality – and an even bigger imagination. He loved to tell stories and talk about his dreams. So much like his father.

"So what did we dream about last night, baby?" Kate prompted, her heart melting when her boy's eyes lit up excitedly.

"There was a dinosaur, Mommy. He was purple with little orange arms and a bright green tail."

"Little arms, hey?" Kate responds. "So what type of dinosaur was he?"

"A T-Rex!"

"Was he scary?"

"No, Mommy. He was a nice T-Rex. He was friendly, like my Dino."

"Well that's what I like to hear." Kate said, standing up and putting Liam on the kitchen counter. The little boy swung his legs happily.

"What are you making?"

"Well, today I have a day off, so I thought I'd make my favourite boys waffles."

"Yeah! No work! That's me and Daddy, right? Your favourite boys?" He asked.

"That's right, little man. You and Daddy."

"And Lexis is your favourite girl?" Liam questioned.

"You know it." Kate replied, flicking her boy playfully on the nose and watching him giggle.

"But I'm your really favourite boy, right? Not Daddy." Liam said proudly.

"I thought that was our little secret, squirt!" Kate stage whispered, and Liam giggled. "But yes, baby. Favourite boy." She said, blowing a raspberry on his cheek as he squirmed happily.

"Kate, I'm wounded!" A voice boomed across the loft. "I will need something extra awesome to recover from the hurt." Castle pined, making Liam giggle at his dramatics.

"Morning, Daddy."

"Morning, Liam. Have you and Mommy be conspiring against me?"

"What does that mean?"

"Telling secrets about me." Castle said, having long since learnt to simplify his explanations. His boy was an inquisitive mind – which was fantastic, but occasionally it was tiring.

"It's not a secret. Liam's my favourite boy." Kate said matter-of-factly, accepting a peck from her husband. "I'll make it up to you with waffles."

Rick wrapped his arm around his wife's waist, smiling as she taught Liam to stir the waffle mix and allowed him to taste-test the batter. Liam was happily chattering once again about his dreams, which he'd proudly informed his dad of as soon as there was a break in conversation between the two adults.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, little man?"

"Do you think T-Rex's ate waffles?" Liam asked, and Castle smiled.

"I don't know if they had waffles back then, buddy. T-Rex's were meat eaters – like lions."

"They were hunters!" Liam said proudly.

"Exactly. They were hunters."

"Cool." Liam replied happily. "Thanks, Daddy. Mommy, when are waffles ready?"

"Two minutes, squirt. Why don't you and Daddy set the table." She said, knowing that Liam was currently in his 'I'm old enough to help with everything' phase.

"Okay Mommy! Daddy, let's do the table so we can eat waffles!"

"You excited about breakfast, my man?" Castle asked.

"Dreaming about dinosaurs made my tummy rumble." Liam replied as he carefully positioned three forks at the breakfast table. As he finished, Kate brought over their food and they sat to eat, enjoying an admittedly rare family breakfast.

XXX

"So, Mommy's got a day off. How do you think we should celebrate, Liam?" Castle asked, and Liam looked thoughtful. After a while, he sighed.

"I don't know, Daddy. There's too many choices!" He said exasperatedly, and Castle laughed.

"Well how about we all get dressed and ready, and then we'll decide." Castle suggested, and Liam nodded.

"I'll think more."

"Who do you want to bathe you this morning, Liam?"

"Mommy!" The reply was instant. At first, Castle had almost been jealous that his little man was such a momma's boy, but he got over that quickly – the bond between his wife and son was nothing short of amazing and he was proud to be privy to it.

"Looks like I'm on dishes duty." Castle said as Kate collected a now-messy Liam and took him upstairs.

"Thanks, Rick. See you in a bit." She said, pressing a quick kiss to his shoulder as she walked past, the toddler in her arms chattering happily against her about how cool turtles are.

Kate had quickly learnt that her child's thought pattern is a constant mystery, much like his father's, and she's okay with that. It means he's likely to have his father's open heart, not her dark one - but she shakes that thought away.

She once had a dark heart, but slowly it is becoming lighter. Her husband and son are the reason. Her family are the reason.

Interrupted from her thoughts by Liam, who insists on practicing his kicking whenever he's in the bath, and Rick, who has just arrived at the bathroom door chuckling at the mess and looking the very picture of a domestic god with a towel slung over his broad shoulder, she can't help but wonder if this is the definition of perfection.

And she knows that whatever they decide to do today, be it a day in the park, going to the museum or even a lazy movie marathon on the couch, she knows it'll be perfect because it will be spent with her favourite boys.

Plural.

* * *

_Chapter 1, complete. Review? I'm happy to take prompts as well, so if you've got ideas for Liam, let me know!_


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: This story has had the fastest positive reaction for any story I've written, so to all of you who have already followed or favourited this story (or me) - THANK YOU. I truly love you all!**

**Thanks also for some fantastic suggestions - part of this chapter was from my brain, but part also came from a prompt in a review, so thanks to _saved240307_ for the input!  
**

**Enjoy :)**

**IBYL**  
**xo**

**Disclaimer: I only own the ideas for the kidlets in this story. Anything or anyone else that you recognise, I don't own it. Or them. Or anything, really.**

* * *

Kate sat at the precinct, watching time tick by. Currently, she was chained to her desk doing paperwork – a blessing and a curse in one. A blessing in that no new case meant she was likely to make it home to her boys for dinner. A curse in that she had to do boring paperwork all day. She glanced up, noticing Ryan working studiously as ever, as was Esposito – though she was sure that wouldn't last long. Not that her boys were in any way lazy, they were just easily distracted – as was she, she had to admit. She glanced at the clock again, pleased to see that while she'd been pondering it had hit 4pm. Just one hour to go until she could clock out and spend the evening with her family as she'd promised.

xxx

_Liam had celebrated his second birthday just a month ago, and with that had come his inquisitive nature and need to understand everything in his world. This morning, when Kate snuck into his room to say goodbye, he stirred under her light kiss with a sigh._

"_Mama."_

"_Bye, little man. I'll see you tonight." Kate said softly._

"_Mama go?" He asked tiredly, and she felt her heart break a little._

"_Yeah, baby. I have to go to work. But I'll be home tonight."_

"_Work." He said, testing the word. "Go work."_

"_Yeah. With Uncle Javi and Uncle Kevin. But I'll see you later, squirt. I'll be home for dinner." Kate said, silently hoping she would make it._

"_Mama home." He whimpered as he drifted back to sleep._

_The sniffle that escaped her as she walked back downstairs was entirely unwelcome, but her husband noticed._

"_He asked where you were going, didn't he?" Rick prompted, and Kate nodded._

"_Yeah. Intelligent, that kid of ours."_

"_Of course he is! Look at the history. I father only gifted children."_

"_The first one was luck, and the second one was my doing." She said, the sass helping her feel less like she was abandoning her son._

"_We'll see you later." Rick said, guiding her to the door and leaving her with a kiss._

"_Bye, Daddy." She murmured softly, before heading out the door for the precinct._

xxx

The elevator sounding its arrival had several heads in the bullpen turning, Kate's included. Then she heard the unmistakable chuckle of her baby boy, and rose to her feet without thought as she saw her husband wander towards her desk with her son.

"Now this is a nice surprise." Kate said, pressing a quick peck to her husband's lips before smiling down at her son. "What are you guys doing here?"

"I said we'd see you later, I just didn't specify a time. And since I've had about 300 texts from you today, I figured you weren't on a case. And this one" he said, gesturing to the boy in his arms currently rapidly searching the bullpen with his eyes, "kept asking about 'Mama work?'" Castle said, imitating their son.

"Mama work?" Liam repeated on cue, and Kate grinned, taking her son and pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"Yeah, my little man. This is where I work. And who's over there?" She said, pointing towards Ryan's desk and smiling when Liam imitated her movement.

"Uncle Ryan." Liam said, smiling shyly into his Mom's shoulder, as Ryan came over to greet Castle. "Where Chloe?" Liam asked, blushing at the mere mention of Ryan's 4 year old daughter.

"Chloe's at home with her Mom today, Liam." Ryan explained, suppressing a smile when Liam's face fell comically. "You can see her soon." He promised, and Liam grinned – the Castle charm oozing. Liam was more than a little smitten with Kevin and Jenny's girl, who was a perfect mirror of her mother – in nature and appearance – but she had her father's blue eyes. Ryan knew he was going to have to work hard to keep the boys at bay, which his workmates teased him about mercilessly.

"And who's that?" Kate said, pointing to Esposito emerging from the break room and smiling as her boy bounced excitedly in her arms.

"Uncle Javi!" Liam crowed happily, and Esposito looked up.

"Junior Castle! Why are you visiting?" Esposito asked as he walked over, clapping Castle on the back and ruffling Liam's hair.

"Mama work!" Liam said happily, and Kate smiled.

"You're visiting Mama at work, huh?" Esposito asked, and Liam nodded.

"Mama work. Mama home." Liam babbled proudly.

"Do you know who sits over there?" Kate asked, pointing toward the Captain's office.

"Aunt Lanie?" Liam tried, looking around for the woman with curious eyes.

"Nope. Want to guess again?" Kate asked, allowing him the option.

"Iunno, Mama!" He said, his words tumbling together in his excitement.

"Well why don't we go see?" Kate said, leaving Castle to have some time with the boys – he was only consulting at the precinct for big cases, and only ever for a day or two. As much as he loved his role at the 12th, Kate knew he adored his 'guy time' with Liam – but she knew he also really missed hanging out with Ryan and Esposito. She let him have a few minutes while she took Liam to visit with the other major member of their team. She knocked on the doorframe of the office, Liam perched on her hip.

"Got a minute, sir?" Kate asked.

"Sure, Detective." Gates replied, before looking up from her computer and grinning widely. "LC, did you come to visit?"

"Miss Tori! Mama work!" He said excitedly, wiggling to be let down. Kate obliged, watching as her boy toddled over to greet her boss. Gates chatted happily with him, sitting him on her lap and listening to him babble about a lot of nothing. This little friendship was unexpected, that was for sure, but Gates had slowly become a solid and important part of the team, and was especially supportive when Kate announced her pregnancy – Gates knew all too well that pregnancy and a high-stress job were not a great match, and when little Liam came along, so-called 'Iron Gates' showed a very different side – and Liam positively adored her.

"So, LC, what do you think of Mommy's work?" Gates asked, using his initials as had become tradition, and Liam grinned.

"Big!" He replied happily, looking to his adored Mama with wide, happy eyes.

"Come on, baby, let's leave Miss Tori to her work, okay? She's very busy. Do you remember why?" Kate asked, prompting him.

"Boss!" Liam replied after a moment, and Kate scooped him up, tickling him softly and making him giggle.

"That's right, she's the boss! So she has lots to do. But we'll see her at our poker party on Saturday, won't we?" Kate asked, and Gates nodded.

"Wouldn't miss it." Gates replied with a smile.

"Yeah! Party!" squawked Liam.

"And, Detective?" Gates called, causing Kate to turn around.

"Yes, sir?"

"Go home when you're done visiting. Shift's almost over anyway." Gates said with a glance at the clock and a wink.

"Thank you, Sir." Kate said, returning her smile before leaving the office.

xxx

When Kate returned to her desk, the boys were arguing about the merit of the latest Yankees signing, and Liam was getting restless.

"Ready to head home, baby?" Kate asked, and Liam nodded.

"Home." He murmured happily into her collarbone, cuddling as close as possible to his Mama. "Home, Mommy." The 'Mommy' thing was new, a sure sign her boy was growing up – it was bittersweet for her. She loved watching him evolve, and watching his personality change, but part of her wanted to freeze time here.

"Ready, Castle?" She interjected, during a lull in conversation.

"Aren't you still on the clock?" He asked, surprised.

"Gates gently suggested I have an early minute or two." Kate said, and Castle grinned.

"Perfect. Pack your stuff. Boys, we will see you this weekend, I assume."

"Yeah, Lanie and I will be there." Esposito said.

"And I'll bring the family." Ryan said.

"Chloe?" A fast-fading Liam piped up with.

"Yeah, Liam. Chloe too." The Irishman chuckled.

"Party!" The boy smiled, before settling back into his mother's chest. Castle had gathered Kate's things, and stood with a smile.

"Right, say bye to the precinct, Liam." Castle said, and Liam waved on cue.

"Bye work!" He said, and Kate smiled.

"Home?" Castle asked, and Kate nodded.

"Home."

* * *

_Saved240307 suggested the Gates/Liam connection which is an idea that I'm kind of in love with, so I incorporated it here and it will definitely be expanded on again._

_Anyways you're all amazing - thanks for reading!_


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: This chapter wasn't specifically requested, but it's something I wanted to do - a description of how our beloved Caskett came to learn about the life of little Liam. There will be continuances of this further down the line for you guys too. Enjoy!**

**IBYL**  
**xo**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it. Wish I did.**

* * *

Kate sat in the nursery's rocking chair, swaying softly in the light of a dawning day. Sunlight was filtering through a tiny crack in the curtains, and Kate altered her position to ensure the intruding light didn't wake the 4-week-old baby in her arms.

Her son.

It still hit her at the most random of moments, the knowledge that she and Castle had made a baby, _this_ baby. This perfect little human being. She'd carried him for 9 months, her little Liam, and now he'd been out in the big wide world for a month.

The time just flew.

Her little man was already recognising the sound of her voice, which pleased her no end. His bright blue eyes were open and alert, and so much like his father's. He was engaged with his surroundings, and he was such a happy little guy. She knew every sound, every cry that he made – and she took great pride in that. She had been so nervous, prior to his birth. Castle found it amusing, that she could stare down serial killers without a flinch but the thought of being responsible for a baby had her quaking in fear. But it did – she was responsible for this little person, for feeding him, changing him, caring for him and loving him. She was proud to say that she knew her son, now. And she had the pleasure of watching him grow – only a month had past but he was already so different.

As he snoozed in her arms, Kate smiled, thinking back to when she found out about her little man.

_xxx_

_She knew something wasn't right. Really, she did. Her body was protesting – she'd been keeping long hours at the precinct since after the honeymoon, with her and Castle both pulled into a string of wacky cases – and there was no end in sight. She could feel herself fatiguing at the pace, and she knew Castle wasn't doing great, either. He wasn't sleeping fantastically right now. And she'd been feeling tired and sore for weeks._

_Kate knew it was time for a break – for both of their sakes. So after a quick discussion with Gates, Kate arranged for 3 days off. More than enough time to run a few errands and just SLEEP. Play catch up. As the day passed, she finished off her paperwork before turning to the writer by her side._

"_Ready to go?" She asked, as she filed the last report._

"_Sure. Shall we get takeaway on the way home?"_

"_Sounds perfect, Rick."_

"_What time are we due back tomorrow?" He asked with a yawn and a glance at his watch._

"_We're not back until Thursday." Kate said with a smile._

"_Really?" Castle asked, surprised._

"_I had a word to Gates. She knows we've been full speed ahead since we got back."_

"_I'm okay, Kate." He said, the exhaustion seeping into his voice. "You don't need to take time off for me."_

"_Rick, we're both not okay. Let's just relax, take an opportunity to enjoy some time together. I'm pretty sure our bed is calling – I'm feeling a bit off, lately." Kate said, and the worry appeared in Castle's eyes immediately._

"_Are you sure it's just exhaustion, Kate? You look a bit… I don't know, green."_

"_I'm okay, Castle." Kate said, stroking a hand down his arm as they stepped into the precinct elevator._

"_You sure? Because people get sick, Kate. It's alright, you know." He replied, the worry shining in his eyes. Such a sap, her husband._

"_I honestly think I just need a solid 12 hour sleep – but I promise, if I feel worse I'll see a doctor."_

"_It's all I ask, oh lovely wife of mine." Castle said, with an acquiescent grin._

_xxx_

_Two days later, after Kate had spent the better part of the evening vomiting, she relented and made a doctor's appointment, to figure out what was wrong, while Castle was due to attend a publisher's meeting._

"_Kate, I can cancel and come with you." Rick said, clearly worried._

"_Baby, I'm fine. I will meet you back here for lunch after you're done, okay? I swear."_

"_You just 'Baby'-ed me." Castle grinned._

"_I did not." Kate said indignantly, before replaying her sentence and groaning. "Oh, I did."_

"_Katherine Houghton Beckett-sometimes-Castle, you are a sap. A total and utter marshmallow." Rick said gleefully._

"_Shush. Go to your meeting. I'll meet you back home at 1, okay?"_

"_Okay. Love you, baby." He teased._

"_Richard Edgar Castle, don't you even…" she growled, as her husband pecked her cheek and flitted out the door._

_xxx_

_Kate's doctor's visit was mercifully quick – a few easy tests and a gentle reminder to rest and take it easy. She was just waiting for her blood test results, and then she'd be back to Castle for an easy afternoon._

_Perhaps in bed._

_Her daydreaming was broken by a nurse calling her name._

"_Kate Castle?"_

"_Yes?" She responded after a second, still not used to her married name._

"_The doctor wants to see you for just a moment." The nurse said, and panic fluttered in her chest. Again? What was wrong?_

_Kate walked into the office, her doctor greeting her with a smile._

"_Sorry to call you back so quickly, Kate."_

"_That's okay – is everything alright?" Kate asked, heart in her mouth._

"_Everything is more than okay, Kate. I've just discovered why you've been feeling ill."_

"_Oh, really?" Kate said, bracing herself._

"_Kate, you're pregnant."_

_Kate felt the world spin a little as she took a deep breath._

"_I… really? Pregnant?"_

"_Your tests are conclusive, Kate. You and your husband weren't trying?" Her doctor questioned, and she shook her head._

"_No. I'm on the pill." They'd discussed it, of course. They both wanted kids – but specifics were never decided upon. They just hoped it would happen eventually – but apparently eventually had arrived earlier than intended._

"_Well it's not 100 percent effective, Kate. At the risk of sounding patronising, these things do happen. Did you have any questions for me at all?" He asked, and Kate shook her head._

"_No. I think I'd best go talk to my husband first. Thank you for your time, doctor."_

"_No problems, Kate. If you need me at any point, feel free to contact me through the clinic."_

_Kate left the room, and started the walk back to the loft, her most recent conversation playing in her mind. Pregnant. She's pregnant. There's a little life growing inside her right now._

_With every step, her grin grew._

_They were having a baby._

_Castle was going to be thrilled to be a father again._

_xxx_

_Rick wandered through the door, just past 1 o'clock. Tossing his jacket over the lounge, he smiled when he saw Kate perched on his favourite armchair._

"_Kate." He murmured, the novelty of arriving home to her still not gone after 18 months living together. It's the little things. "What did the doctor say?"_

"_Funny story about that." She said with a sly smile._

"_You've got a funny story from the doctors?" He asked, perplexed._

"_What were your last words to me before you left today?" Kate prompted._

"_Trick question?"_

"_Think about it, memory man. What did you say?"_

"_I said 'Love you, baby'" Castle replied, proud of his memory. "So? I know you hate pet names Kate but you started it. And what does that have to do" He whined, before pausing, eyes wide, "with anything… Kate?"_

"_That 'baby' comment may have been more accurate than you or I thought." She said, watching as tears began to shine in his eyes._

"_Kate, are you serious?"_

"_Tired, mood swings, losing my lunch…" Kate continued, and Rick beamed._

"_You're pregnant?"_

"_Yeah." Kate said._

"_Really?" He asked, dumbfounded._

"_Congratulations, Daddy." Kate murmured, tears filling her own eyes as Castle hoisted her out of the armchair, pulling her into a hug and kissing her soundly._

"_Kate, we're having a baby." Rick said, awed._

"_So the doctor says. We need to find an obstetrician, get an ultrasound. But yes. I'm pregnant."_

"_At the risk of being indelicate… how?" He asked, his eyes wide and ecstatic._

"_Luck, I guess. The pill's not 100% effective – these things happen. Apparently our schedule of 'eventually' was too slow for mother nature." Kate said, and Rick chuckled._

"_Apparently. I… Crap, Kate, I thought it wasn't possible to beat the happiness level I was at on our wedding day and then you go and tell me something like this." Rick grinned. "I love you so much, baby. And you too, baby." He said cheekily, running a hand along her abdomen._

"_Love you too, Castle." Kate murmured against his lips._

_xxx_

Kate smiled as she thought of his reaction. It truly was beautiful – he was such a loving, caring man, always had been, but to see him as a father, as an excited new father, watching his imagination run wild with ideas and dreams for their child? It was beyond anything she'd imagined.

"He asleep?" Castle asked, leaning against the doorjamb with a sleepy smile. Kate flicked her eyes to the clock, saw she'd been reminiscing for an hour, just cuddling her boy close to her chest – a thought which made her smile.

"Yeah, he's asleep. He'll wake soon though, for a feed." She said, and Rick grinned.

"Well then, I'll get Mommy's breakfast organised while she feeds the little one." Rick said, walking over to kiss his wife's forehead and stroke a gentle hand over Liam's skull.

"Thanks, Rick."

"Always." He grinned, just as the youngster began to stir and whine for his mother.

Apparently, it was breakfast time.

* * *

**Reviews? I'd love to know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry about the wait. I had about three billion things happen in the past month, and this took an unintentional backseat to real life. But hey, I finally managed another chapter for you!  
**

**IBYL  
xo**

**Disclaimer: I own a whole lot of merchandise, but no rights. I just like to play.**

* * *

"Road trip music?" Rick asked.

"Check! Mommy has her iPod!" 7-year-old Liam cheered. "Vacation time!"

"Okay, squirt, cool your jets." Kate laughed as she playfully wrestled with her growing boy, twitching her well-placed fingers against his ribs and watching him squirm happily. "Got your bag?"

"Yep. You helped me pack it, Mommy." He said with a long-suffering sigh, making Castle laugh.

"And I have ours. So, shall we?" Castle asked with a grin as Liam bolted through the now open front door of the loft to press the lift's call button. Kate grinned, sauntering towards the door and pressing a kiss to the lips of her bag-laden husband.

"I love vacation." She murmured, and he grinned.

"Me too." He pressed another peck to her lips, delighting in her soft exhale.

"Stop playing kissy face and let's hit the road!" The impatient boy hollered down the hall, causing both adults to chuckle.

xxx

"So which playlist, Liam?" Kate asked from the passenger seat. Castle briefly took his eyes off the road with a smile – usually, she would drive, she'd always liked being in control, but she'd quickly learnt that longer drives meant that Castle got bored. And when her husband was bored, well…

Safe to say it was easier just to let him drive. At least then he had something to focus on.

"The one named after me, Mommy." He said, the sigh from earlier returning with a vengeance. Kate wasn't altogether sure where he picked that one up from, but she wasn't fond of it. Her little man had attitude – though with the attitudes of his parents, it was almost a given.

"Alright. Just shuffle it?"

"Yes please Mommy." Just like that, Kate exhaled in relief. At least his manners were intact. Michael Jackson's _Thriller_ began, and Kate relaxed back into her seat, eyes closed as she bathed in the sunshine and listened to her gorgeous little man trying his very best to be the King of Pop, reincarnate.

This was the life.

xxx

They stopped for a quick lunch at a diner, just a few minutes away from their Hamptons home. Kate could feel her excitement building, despite the place being their home away from home. No matter how often they came here, she'd never lost that sense of anticipation for a vacation – whether impromptu or planned. There was something about cruising along the LIE, knowing that every mile brought you closer to the blissful paradise of sand and surf. It was a chance to let her hair down, relax, and simply enjoy some time away.

For years, though, the best thing wasn't the vacations – it was going on said vacations with Richard Castle. It only took her one trip to realise that he was in his element in The Hamptons. He was truly himself – no façade, just being the man who enjoys playing in the sunshine with friends and family, going for a swim or curling up of an evening in front of a movie.

She loved that about him.

And now, she had the pleasure of watching her little man bloom too. He adored The Hamptons, much to Kate's delight. A true water baby, she was sure Liam would spend every waking minute in the ocean if given the option. He also adored making his 'creations', on the beach – his term, surprisingly, not his father's. The trio always made a point to make a sandcastle of ridiculous proportions every time they came – it was Daddy's one rule for vacations to The Hamptons, given their family name.

Back on the road, Liam dozed in the backseat, sated from a delicious burger, while Rick chattered softly about his latest scheme for Nikki to fall into.

"So, there's a vigilante, seeking justice against those who are above the law due to their power and position. He spends his life exposing politicians, lawyers, executives and all of their white collar crimes – fraud, tax evasion, insider trading, anything like that. Falco, that's the vigilante, eventually exposes himself in a massive fit of narcissistic pride, and Rook decides to start researching a story about him. Rook meets him, but the next day Falco is found dead, hanging from a fire escape in Midtown with a rat super-glued to his bare chest – and yet there's no obvious cause of death. And, given the dirt he'd already exposed and the millions of secrets he'd been cultivating, there are literally hundreds of murder suspects – enter Nikki and Roach. What do you think?"

Truthfully, she could already feel the anticipation build for this story, purely on the back of his rushed description – but she couldn't let him have it that easy.

"Title ideas?" She asked, giving away nothing.

"Packing Heat. Taking the Heat? I've got a couple." Rick replied, giving her the eye as they pulled into their street in The Hamptons.

She let him sweat for a while, breaking her silence as her husband navigated the car up the drive.

"It sounds fantastic, Rick. Current, potentially exciting, lots of opportunity for twists. You'll just have to make sure it doesn't encourage more power-hungry vigilantes." Kate said with a smile, and Rick beamed like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Do you mind if I go get an outline down? You can take Liam in, settle in the lounge?" He asked, his excitement building.

"I've got this. Go." Kate said with a smile, and Rick pressed a kiss to her cheek and bolted towards the front door, inspiration flowing through his veins.

As the door slammed, Kate jostled her sleeping boy gently, removing his seatbelt and cradling him in her grasp.

"Where'd Daddy go?" The boy murmured sleepily.

"He's got to do some work quickly." She said simply, and Liam smiled.

"The bug. Gotcha." He said, burrowing into his mother's chest.

"The bug?"

"When Daddy's had an idea and has to do some work, he tells me it's the bug. If he has an idea and can't play all the time, he blames the bug."

"And you know what his work is, don't you?" Kate checked.

"He writes books!" Liam said, pride seeping into his tone. "He says they're the best books ever, but whenever he says that when Grams is around, she tells him that he shouldn't lie."

Kate couldn't help the little chuckle – Martha could always be called upon to keep her only son grounded, that was for sure. She wandered through the front door, mindful of the little man in her arms – who, she had to admit to herself quietly, was getting bigger by the day. Carrying him into the sunken lounge, she settled on the couch, keeping her boy cradled in her arms despite his size. He was probably slightly too old for this now but Kate couldn't bring herself to let go quite yet. While her boy was still content to cuddle, she was going to take her opportunity.

"He writes great books, squirt."

"Why can't I read any of them?" He whined. "I'm getting so big now."

"You are." Kate agreed with a nod. "But his books are for older people, like adults."

"How old was Alexis when she got to read Daddy's books?" He asked.

"I think she was about 14, but you'd have to check with her." Kate said. "We can Skype her later tonight."

Alexis usually joined them out here at The Hamptons, but just because her brother was on spring break from school, it didn't mean she was able to enjoy such luxuries - not while she was completing the final semester of her Masters in Medical Science. She'd promised to take a study break later anyway, so Kate figured it would be nice to let her gorgeous child and step-child chat for a while.

"So, if she was allowed to read them at 14, I should be too – right? That's justice." Liam smirked, proud of using his newfound understanding of the justice system. His dad had explained it to him in basic terms last week, after he'd made a backhanded comment about there being no justice in the world. Liam's ever-present curiosity reared its head and Castle had to explain the concept of justice in detail – because a basic outline was never enough for their inquisitive child.

"That would be _just_, yes." Kate said, the subtle correction not going unnoticed by Liam.

"Just. Is that another one of those words where it's got lots of meanings?" Liam asked.

"Yep." Kate replied simply.

"Okay." Her boy said mildly, cuddling closer as they enjoyed the peace for a short minute. Liam was a good kid, though much like his father, he wasn't very fond of silence. It didn't take long for him to break.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, baby?" Kate replied, coddling him a little more than strictly necessary.

"Can we please go play in the sand now?" He asked, bright blue eyes shining hopefully.

"Absolutely. Run and tell Dad while I collect the supplies." Kate said, and she beamed as her boy clapped and pressed a noisy kiss to her cheek before sliding off her lap and taking off towards his Dad's office as fast as his little legs could carry him. Kate knew Castle well enough by now to know that he would've sketched out enough of his idea to be happy with it, and she knew he'd pout for weeks if he missed out on the fun. In this case, it was best to interrupt and get him to join in.

As she moved to collect the Castle family sand toy supplies, she heard Castle chortle in the distance as two sets of footsteps made their way to the back of the house, ready to start their holiday fun.

By the time she made it outside with all the equipment, her husband was already helping their son dig a hole big enough to be buried in – and she wasn't sure who was enjoying it more – her child or her man-child.

As Liam's giggles rang out across the calm stretch of beach, Kate couldn't resist sighing as she took in the moment. She really did love family vacation.

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**Another chapter bites the dust - review? x**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I know, I'm terrible, I'm sorry. Real life, what can you do? Don't expect another update for another 6 weeks because I'm FINALLY going on my dream holiday to the US of A and I won't have access to a computer to write. But, please enjoy this installment and I promise to continue writing this fic!**

**IBYL**  
**xo**

**Disclaimer: Literally about to visit the States for the first time. Safe to say I don't own Castle.**

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"And what are we?" Castle prompted his son as they stood on opposing sides of the lounge room coffee table, each wielding a lightsaber.

"Manly men!" Liam crowed, unable to resist his father's subtle challenge.

"No girls allowed!"

"Yeah, girls have cooties!" Liam said, making his father laugh.

"Trust me kid, in about 5 years they won't."

"I don't know, Dad. I'm pretty sure cooties are a forever thing." The boy said sagely.

"You don't trust your wise old Dad, squirt?" Castle asked with a smirk. His son was already close to 5 feet tall, even at 9 years old. He wasn't a squirt at all. Not a chance, with his genes, Castle thought with a smile as Liam's mother swanned into the room in a pretty dress – white and lacy with a delicate pink sash around the middle, it was beautifully structured to her supermodel body and she looked the picture of femininity. The light pink lily woven into her curls set off the dress perfectly – not exactly what would traditionally be expected of the detective, but she lived to surprise. Plus, as Kate had explained to him earlier, there was a certain level of femininity expected at a baby shower.

"You look pretty, Mom." Liam complimented, and Kate blushed.

"Thanks, little man." She said with a grin.

"Stunning." Castle confirmed, when he'd finally scraped his jaw off the floor. "Absolutely stunning."

"Nice to know I've still got it." Kate said with a smirk, leaning in to press a peck to her husband's lips, ignoring their son's disgusted groans.

"Yeesh, Dad, what happened to being manly men. Uncle Javi's gonna take your man card." Liam groaned dramatically, and Kate couldn't stifle her giggle.

"When did Uncle Javi teach you about man cards?" Castle asked while Kate tried to control her giggles.

"At the last poker party while you two were being gross." He said, poking his tongue out.

"Such a drama queen, our son." Castle sighed, tugging Kate into his side.

"Gets it from his father." Kate said, patting Castle's chest lightly before pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I've got to get going, Lanie is expecting me to be out the front ready." She smiled, before turning towards her son. "You too grossed out for a goodbye kiss."

"… I think I can take it and still keep my man card." Liam said, turning his cheek towards his mother with a grin. Kate laughed and pressed a kiss to his cheek before curling him into a hug.

"Enjoy your man date. I'll be home late this afternoon."

"Bye, Mom!" Liam called.

xxx

"So, Uncle Javi and Uncle Kevin are on their way over now, since the girls are at their party. What do you want to do while we wait for them?" Castle asked, switching off his lightsaber.

"Dad, do you really have to ask?" Liam said, attitude abound. Castle bit back a chuckle at the tone of his voice.

"Go get your vest, I'll kill the lights. T minus 2 minutes til game on."

"You're going down, Voltar." Liam shouted as he bolted up the stairs. Castle quickly removed major obstacles before making the dash to his office for his vest. Can't let the kid beat him… again. Kate would have a field day. She had way too much fun the first time Liam managed to use one of his own carefully crafted manoeuvres against him.

Castle was suited up by the time he heard Liam's footsteps on the stairs. He switched on his suit with a grin.

Let the game begin.

xxx

The game finished in the elder Castle's favour, as the forces of Voltar narrowly escaped a Rebel dash for victory just as the doorbell rang.

Liam looked to his Dad excitedly, so Castle gestured to the door, allowing his son to answer it as he set their laser tag vests aside. He watched as Liam stood on his tiptoes to check out the peephole before flinging the door open.

"Uncle Javi! Uncle Kevin!" He grinned, holding out his hand to 'feed the birds', just as they and his Dad had taught him.

"Junior Castle, how are we doing?" Esposito asked as he ruffled the boy's hair.

"Dad beat me at laser tag. 10 more minutes and I would've got him." He sulked, and Ryan laughed.

"Next time, kid."

"Drink, boys?" Castle asked, ever the host, and all three boys nodded. Castle smiled and wandered to the kitchen, listening to Liam regale the Detectives with tales of their latest battle – complete with outrageous exaggerations, of course. Like father, like son.

When Castle returned, the boys were each in possession of a PlayStation controller as the opening credits of Madden NFL appeared.

"Are we playing in rounds?" Castle asked, and everyone nodded.

"I'm telling you Dad, today's my day." Liam announced, and Ryan laughed. Espo just smiled, and Castle cushioned himself back in his favourite armchair to watch the games unfold.

xxx

Multiple rounds later, it was Esposito who raised his arms in victory with a narrow win over Liam. Castle had been eliminated early on in their complex round robin system and was relegated to snack patrol while the boys continued their battles. Liam fought hard to the end but a lucky pass had Espo doing a none-too-subtle lap of honour in the loft's family room.

"Cool it, Javi – you're celebrating for beating a kid literally 30 years your junior." Ryan smirked, and Espo's face fell as Liam giggled. Castle couldn't help but smile while he tidied up in the kitchen – he was so grateful that his son had such good uncles to look up to. For all of their teasing and fun, both Kevin and Javier were fantastic with Liam – Javi treated him like another buddy, as did Kevin. By some stroke of luck, both he and Kate were only children and yet they'd been able to surround both Liam and Alexis with the most fantastic extended family.

His reverie was interrupted by the shuffling of the three men in the lounge room. He could hear Liam's slight whine, even from the other side of the room.

"Do you really have to go already?" He asked. Castle held back a grin at the tone in his boy's voice.

"Sorry, my man. We're on the early shift tomorrow so we've gotta get some sleep." Esposito replied.

"Same. Plus I have to have dinner with Jenny and Chloe." Kevin said. "Thanks for this afternoon, Castle."

"Anytime, you know that." Castle replied, as Kevin showed himself out with a final wave. Esposito called out a farewell before turning back to Liam.

"No need to look so sad, Junior Castle. It was fun, of course – but we do this all the time. It'll come around again soon enough."

"But our manly days are my favourite." Liam said. Castle slung his arm around Liam's shoulders. Esposito looked to Castle with a question in his eyes, and Castle smiled, gesturing subtly for Esposito to speak.

"Remember how you helped Lanie and I move into our apartment a couple of weeks ago?" Esposito said.

"Yeah…?" Liam prompted, faced contorted with confusion.

"Well, we have a spare bedroom now. And Lanie actually asked me to invite you over to spend a night with us. We can play Madden, watch movies, whatever. If you'd like to come hang with us."

"I can sleep at yours?"

"If your Mom approves the idea." Castle said, just as keys jingled in the lock. Kate smiled as she walked into her home, Lanie trailing behind her.

"If Mom approves what idea?" Kate asked.

"Uncle Javi invited me to sleep over with him and Auntie Lanie and can I please please please?" Liam burbled happily, and Kate laughed, looking towards both Javi and Lanie.

"You sure it's not a problem?" She asked, and Lanie grinned.

"Course not. You know we'd love to have him."

"How's next weekend?" Javi asked, and Liam positively beamed at his mother – batting eyelashes and all.

"You don't need to use the puppy dog eyes on me, Liam James Castle." Kate said with a laugh, before glancing at Castle and looking back to Javi with a nod. "Next weekend would be perfect, thanks guys."

"You're welcome. It'll be fun." Esposito said as Lanie nodded.

"Home time, I think. Beckett, Castle – see you tomorrow. Little Castle, have a good week at school and we'll see you next weekend." Lanie said, bidding each of the trio goodbye.

"Starting thinking up some decent Madden strategies, kiddo."

"On it, Uncle Javi!" Liam grinned before waving. Esposito and Lanie let themselves out while Liam leapt into his mother's arms. "Thanks, Mom. This is going to be great." He grinned, before throwing himself at his Dad too. "Thanks Dad."

"You're welcome, little man. Do you mind going to pack up the PlayStation gear?" Castle asked and Liam sped to the TV to put away controllers as he'd been taught. Rick paused to pull Kate into his arms and press a kiss to her lips.

"Katherine Castle, will you do me the honor of joining me on a dinner date this Saturday?" He asked, every inch debonair and charming. Kate laughed.

"Why Richard, it would be my absolute pleasure." She replied, and Castle laughed before pressing a longer kiss to her lips.

"Missed you today." He murmured, and she couldn't help the faint blush in response.

"Missed you too." She responded quietly. They were still in their embrace when they're son re-entered the room.

"Gross." Liam grimaced, covering his eyes as he walked away murmuring something about Uncle Javi and man cards.

His parents could only chuckle in response.

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**Even though I left you hanging, leave me a review?**


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